


Barrels

by xxEmi



Series: His Dwarf [2]
Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Established Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, Lake-town, M/M, Sick Bilbo Baggins, i guess, soft dwalin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-16
Updated: 2020-06-16
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:46:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24744811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xxEmi/pseuds/xxEmi
Summary: ‘Barrels,’ Bilbo thought viciously. ‘Who ever thought of such a stupid idea?’Bilbo finally breaks the company out of Mirkwood but because of some slight overlooks on his part, he is now suffering from a nasty cold. Luckily Dwalin is there to help.
Relationships: Bilbo Baggins/Dwalin
Series: His Dwarf [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1789024
Comments: 16
Kudos: 80





	Barrels

**Author's Note:**

> This is unbeta'd again so if you catch any oopsies don't be afraid to let me know. Constructive feedback is welcomed.
> 
> Thank you

‘Barrels,’ Bilbo thought viciously as the elvish barrel he clung to threatened to throw him off with every spin and jolt.

‘Who ever thought of such a stupid idea?’

‘You did of course,’ He reminded himself, coughing and spluttering as he was dunked under and dragged back up above the water. Of course he did.

Oh he had thought it was a grand idea when he was leading the dwarves past the drunken guards and kitchen attendants and into the barrels. But he failed to consider two very important things. The first being that there was only 13 barrels. He thought this was fine at first, 13 barrels for 13 dwarves. It was perfect. But he forgot to count himself, leaving him without a barrel. And the second thing he forgot to think about was how he intended to get into said barrel, if there had been one for him, once they had all been dumped into the water.

And that was how Bilbo found himself half-drowned in freezing cold water, rocks tearing at his legs, clinging desperately to the side of a lurching and bobbing barrel while orcs and elves alike shot arrows at them. All Bilbo could do was grip the ropes on the barrel tight and hope that no one got hurt.

After what felt like ages, the arrows stopped and shortly after that they hit calmer waters. 

The dwarves didn’t like that, as losing the current meant they were no longer travelling faster than the orc pack that was chasing them. Bilbo did like it, as it meant that he was no longer in danger of being flung off the side of whoever’s barrel he was holding on.

If only he could tell his hands that, they stubbornly held a death grip on the ropes. Only after Bilbo could feel the river’s bottom beneath his feet was he finally able to convince his hands to let go, even after that they stubbornly stayed curled. 

He could hear Dwalin calling his name frantically from somewhere but he was so frazzled after such a rough ride in a freezing river that he couldn’t call out. 

“He’s right here!” Nori called, crawling out of the barrel Bilbo had just let go. 

Bilbo dragged himself onto land only to be dragged up by Dwalin and pulled into a tight hug.

Bilbo laughed softly and willed his frozen arms to wrap around his dwarf, glad to finally be able to touch him without cell bars involved.

They’re reunion didn’t last very long, as Kili needed tended too and then they met Bard. Met is a polite word. He did threaten them. He did, however, agree to smuggle them into Laketown. Soon Bilbo was in a small, one room house listening to the dwarves argue with their smuggler about whether or not the weapons he supplied were worth what they paid for. Bilbo felt a headache coming on and he hadn’t stopped shivering since he came out of the river. 

One of Bard’s sweet children, a young girl who he believed was named Tilda, offered him some clothes, more than likely meant for a child, a fact Bilbo chose to ignore in favor of getting out of his freezing wet clothes. She lead him to a screened off area to get changed, which he was thankful for.

He wasn’t surprised when Dwalin slipped in behind him.

“Are you well, Ghivashel?” He asked voice soft so as to not arouse attention from the rest of the room.

Bilbo hummed softly numbly trying to get undressed, still too cold and the damp air of the town and draft in the house wasn’t helping.

Dwalin helped him pull off his wet clothing, drying him with the corner of his own cloak before attempting to rub feeling back into Bilbo’s arms. He truly must have been very worried about the shivers running through the hobbit and the cuts and bruises on his body to not have made a bawdy comment about Bilbo being naked before him. 

Bilbo grimaced as feeling rushed back into his limbs causing a feeling of pins and needles pricking his skin. With Dwalin’s help he was wrapped up in his new clothing and back out with the group, having his worst injuries tended to by Oin. He was hoping for a chance to rest and sleep, but it would appear that that wasn’t an option, as the dwarves decided that they would try and break into the town’s armory and steal real weapons. Apparently the ones Bard gave them weren’t good enough.

It went about as well as one would expect.

They were capture swiftly as Kili’s injured leg had given out causing him to fall and make plenty of noise. And this time Bilbo wasn’t able to slip on his ring and sneak off. They were herded towards the Master of Laketown’s home. Dwalin kept him close to him, glaring fiercely at the men, who had no qualms about giving any of them a sharp poke with the tip of their spears. 

After Thorin promising the men of Laketown riches and Bilbo backing up the promise, they managed to not only avoid imprisonment but were welcomed with great celebration and a party in their honor.

It was a pity that Bilbo wasn’t feeling up to a party. It would seem his swim in the river had saddled him with a nasty little cold and he found that he was far too tired and feeling far too ill to join in the merriment. He could barely keep his eyes opened, he developed a rattling cough, his head and body ached, and he couldn’t stop shivering. Not even Fili and Kili’s begging could dissuade Bilbo from taking his leave to find the room he had been offered. 

He climbed into the bed, not bothering to take off any of his clothes before burrowing under the blankets and slipping off into a deep sleep.

He was not pleased when he was shaken awake and he let out a grunt of annoyance before his eyes landed on Dwalin. His annoyance melted away and he let out a disgruntled sigh. 

“Oin sent me up with some tea for your cold and a salve for your chest to help your cough.” The dwarf said voice soft as he held a cup in Bilbo’s view. He helped the hobbit sit up and drink the bitter tea before getting him out of his clothing, leaving him in only his pants as he rubbed the salve on his chest. Bilbo would’ve gladly lay down and slept right after that but Dwalin insisted he ate, so he allowed his dwarf to spoon him some stew as he rested with his eyes shut, slowly beginning to warm up and relax.

“That was a very kind thing you did, vouching for Thorin’s word.”

Bilbo opened his eyes lazily and smiled. 

“I didn’t say a word that wasn’t true. And the same goes for all of you.”

Dwalin smiled and laid a gentle kiss on Bilbo’s forehead before kissing his lips nice and slow.

Bilbo let out a pleased noise, pressing closer. He smiled as Dwalin pulled away to strip off his own outer layers and he let out a soft harrumph as Dwalin moved to settle in the bed beside him.

“First time we’ve had a room and a bed to ourselves and I’m not feeling up to using it for anything other than sleeping.” Bilbo said tucking into the dwarf’s warm chest.

Dwalin chuckled softly drawing his hobbit near. 

“If you feel well enough, we may still have the morning. With the amount of ale and merry making the others have consumed, I’ll be surprised if we start for the mountain before noon.”

Dwalin seemed to all at once remember what would happen once they reached the mountain, for his arms tightened around Bilbo and he drew him closer still.

Bilbo sensed this and moved to kiss him gently, stroking his hand across his dwarf’s cheek. “In the morning then.” He said gently with a soft smile, waiting for Dwalin to relax before linking their hands together and settling against him.

Thoughts of the dragon and Erebor could wait, for now they held each other and slipped into a deep sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> Do you remember when at the end of fics, writers would write themselves as having conversations with the characters in their fanfiction lmao
> 
> Constructive feedback is welcomed and comments are always appreciated.
> 
> I have plans to write more on this couple but probably not until after they reclaim the mountain. Let me know if you want anything else. I've been considering writing them falling in love or going back in the timeline and writing other scenes but I haven't decided yet. If that's something you want please comment.
> 
> Please look into the Black Lives Matter movement and donate and support them in any way possible. If you're out protesting stay safe, make sure to have everything you need, and stay hydrated. 
> 
> Thank you.


End file.
